Method of making a tap attaching device for containers



v 1939; G. 'CONNERQ 2,170,011

METHOD OF MAKING A T AP ATTACHiNG DEVICE FOR CONTAINERS Original Filed April 11, 1936 INVENTOR Guy O.Cormer latented Aug. 22, 1939 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING A TAP ATTACHING DEVICE. FOR CONTAINERS Guy 0. Conner, Wheeling, W. Va., assignor to Wheeling Steel Corporation, Wheeling, W. Va., a corporation of Delaware Original application April 11, 1936, Serial No. 73,926. Divided and this application June 18,

1937, Serial No. 148,881

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of making a tap attaching device for containers, and more particularly to a method of making a tap attaching device for containers adapted to contain beverages and the like which are tapped therefrom. It relates still more particularly to a method of making an improved tap-attaching device adapted particularly for application to metal containers and which is of greatly reduced cost and enables manufacture of containers, such as metal beverage barrels, at a considerablesaving. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 73,926, filed April 11, 1936.

- It has heretofore been customary to provide metal beverage barrels with a bung hole of considerable size and which is internally threaded and adapted to receive, a threaded plug having formed integrally therewith a tap receiving portion having a tap receiving opening of much smaller size than the bung hole. This has been considered necessary in order to enable the provision of attaching means for the tap. The cost of the threaded plug having the tap attaching means integral therewith and which is of considerable size and weight is so great that it affects to a very substantial extent the cost of the entire container. Moreover, the provision of the internally threaded means on the container for reception of such plug further materially increases the cost thereof.

I provide a tap attaching device for containers of the type above mentioned which reduces to a very important extent the cost of the container as a whole. The cost of my tap attaching device may range from to of the cost of the threaded metal plug above referred to, andthe cost of the container is further reduced by elimination of the necessity of the provision of internally threaded means therein for reception of such plug. Moreover, I accomplish a further important advantage by entirely doing away with the necessity of providing a bung hole of relatively large size, and I need provide only a tap hole, that is to say, a hole or opening of such size as to receive a tap with only a convenient clearance thereabout.

I preferably provide a tap attaching device in the form of a flanged sleeve adapted for direct connection with a container in alignment with an opening, which opening, as mentioned above, may be of such size as to receive a tap with only a convenient clearance thereabout. I preferably permanently connect the tap attaching device with the container, as, for example, by

crimping or welding, preferably the latter. The tap is applicable directly to such device without the necessity of the provision of any separate plug. r

I also provide for formation of the tap attaching device in a novel manner which greatly reduces the cost thereof. I preferably provide a flanged metal sleeve and displace material from the flange of the sleeve at a plurality of points to provide apertures through the flange to permit application of a tap thereto. The displaced material is preferably left integrally connected with the remaining material of the flange and is preferably positioned so as to limit relative rotative movement between the tap and the tap attaching device when the tap is applied. I also preferably depress the material of the flange at a plurality of points thereabout to provide means to insure proper sealing of the tap, as will presently appear.v Both the displacing and depressing functions may be performed simultaneously in a single operation, and, as the blank from which the tap attaching device is made is itself very cheap, and as only a single deforming operation which may be performed in a single stroke of a' suitable forming die is required, the cost of making the tap attaching device is extremely low.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof and certain present preferred preferred methods of practicing the same, in

which- Figure 1 is a central vertical cross-sectional view through a sheet metal barrel having my tap attaching device applied thereto and showing a tap in place thereon;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of a portion of the barrel and showing the tap attaching device with the tap removed;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the tap attaching device, taken on the line IIIIII of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the tap attaching device before application to the container;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the device shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the device shown in Figure 4, taken at right angles to Figure 5; and i Figure? is a. detail cross-sectional view showing a modified form of tap attaching device attached to a sheet metal barrel.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, there is shown at 2 a sheet metal barrel which may be of standard construction. The barrel has an inwardly depressed portion 3 reinforced by a plate 4 which may be welded to the barrel externally thereof. The reinforcing plate 4 may be omitted in certain cases and the modifled construction shown in Figure 7 shows a sheet metal barrel 5 with such plate omitted. The barrel has a tap opening 6 in the depressed portion 3, which opening is preferably of such size as to receive a tap with only a convenient clearance thereabout.

I provide a tap attaching device of which one present preferred form is shown in detail in Figures 4, 5, and 6. Such device is made out of a flanged metal sleeve or ferrule. Such sleeve or ferrule is initially internally and externally cylindrical and is provided at one end with a continuous flat radially projecting flange. The sleeve is shown at i and the flange is designated generally by the numeral 8. In order to provide for the attachment of a tap I displace material from the flange at a plurality of points to provide apertures through the flange. As shown, apertures 9 are provided at two diametrically opposite points of the flange, adapting the device for reception of a tap of standard construction.

The material displaced from the flange to provide the apertures 9 is shown at Ill. The displacement is preferably eiiected by placing the flanged sleeve or ferrule in a suitable die and operating on it in a single stroke to sever the material H] from the flange except at one end point of the material H! where it is left integrally connected with the remaining material of the flange as shown. The material I0 is otherwise severed from the flange and from the body of the sleeve and is displaced downwardly until it assumes a substantially vertical position when the sleeve stands upright, as shown in Figure 5. The two portions l0 provide means to limit relative rotative movement between the tap and the tap attaching device, as will presently appear.

I also depress or bend the material of the flange at opposed points H, such depression or bending being in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the device and so as to provide at the under surface of the flange means to insure proper sealing of the tap. The downwardly projecting portions H engage a portion of the tap, as will presently appear, in such manner as to permit the same to properly adjust itself to insure efiective sealing of the tap to the container. The depressing or bending of the portions H is preferably effected simultaneously with the displacing of the material Ill and a suitable die may be provided for accomplishing both of these functions in a single stroke.

In Figure 1 the tap attaching device shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 is indicated as being welded to the outer surface of the barrel and in. alignment with the opening 6, the welding being indicated. diagrammatically at [2. The structure thus produced is one of great simplicity and consequent low cost but is strong and rugged and provides for application of a tap more easily than the threaded plug heretofore used, as there is no shell about the tap attaching device to interfere with application of the tap.

In Figure 1 there is shown a tap designated generally by reference numeral l3 and which may be of standard construction. Such tap comprises a stem M, a sleeve l5 having an annular exterior shoulder l6, a thimble l1 and a nut H3. The thimble IT has inwardly projecting portions [9 adapted upon application of the tap to pass through the apertures 9 whereupon the thimble is turned to position the portions I9 behind the flange portions of the tap attaching 7 device and in engagement with the downwardly placed portions lll of the flange of the tap attaching device serve as stop means to limit relative rotative movement between the tap and the tap attaching device, the portions IQ of the thimble l'l engaging the portions I 0 after such portions l9 have been passed through the apertures 9 and the thimble turned as above explained. As the tap herein disclosed is of well known construction I have not explained all of its features in detail.

In Figure 7 there is shown at 2| 9. modified form of tap attaching device the head or outer portion of which may be substantially the same as that of the tap attaching device shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 but which is connected with the sheet metal barrel 5 by crimping as shown at 22. The tap attaching device may be connected with the barrel in various diflerent ways, although it is preferred to attach it permanently. The connection must, of course, be sulficiently strong to enable performance of the desired function without fracture or leakage.

While I have shown and described certain present preferred embodiments of the invention and certain present preferred methods of practicing the same, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not so limited but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A method of making a tap attaching device for containers, which tap attaching device comprises a flanged sleeve, comprising partially severing the material of the flange from the body of the sleeve at a plurality of points thereabout and bending such material at each of said points out of the general plane of the flange generally parallel to a plane containing the axis of the sleeve to permit application of a tap thereto.

2. A method of making a tap attaching device for containers, which tap attaching device comprises a flanged sleeve, comprising partially severing the material of the flange from the body of the sleeve at a plurality of points thereabout and, while said material remains integral with the material of an adjacent portion of the flange, moving the same by pressing out of the general plane of the flange to permit application of a tap thereto and into position to limit relative rotative movement between the tap and the tap ataching device.

3. A method of making a tap attaching device for containers, which tap attaching device comprises a sleeve having a laterally projecting flange provided with apertures, comprising subjecting said flange to pressure in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the sleeve so as to depress the material of the flange at a plurality of points thereabout to form said apertures and to cause portions of the leading surface of the flange as it is deformed by such pressure to extend beyond the general plane of such surface.

4. A method of making a tap attaching del() vice for containers, which tap attaching device comprises a flanged sleeve, comprising applying pressure to the flange so as to simultaneously bend portions of the flange away from one end of the sleeve towards the other end of the sleeve to provide non-planar face portions thereon and to displace material from the flange at a plurality of points thereabout to provide apertures through the flange to permit application of a tap thereto.

GUY O. CONNER. 

